The widow of a man who died in New York City police custody after apparently being placed in a chokehold says he wasn't violent.

Esaw Garner said Saturday that her husband, Eric Garner, 'was a quiet man, but he's making a lot of noise now.'

Members of Garner's family spoke at the Harlem headquarters of the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Comfort in death: Esaw Garner, right, is consoled by family members at the funeral for her husband, Eric Garner, at Bethel Baptist Church. Garner died in police custody after an officer placed him in an apparent chokehold

A quiet man: Esaw Garner said her husband was a quiet man but that 'he's making a lot of noise now'

Garner's mother, Gwen Carr, said she wants justice for her son.

Garner died last week as he was being arrested on suspicion of selling loose, untaxed cigarettes.

An amateur video shows a plainclothes officer placing Garner in what appears to be a chokehold. Garner gasped, 'I can't breathe!'

RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says the Justice Department is 'closely monitoring' the investigation into Garner's death.

Victim:
Eric Garner, 43, died after being held in a 'chokehold' by NYPD officer
Daniel Pantaleo in Staten Island. An initial report into his death has
said he was 'not in great distress

NYPD
Commissioner Bill Bratton has since ordered all of the city's 35,000 officers
to be retrained in how they use force following the death.

Bratton
said Garner's death was 'very tragic' and ordered Deputy Commissioner
of Training Benjamin Tucker to conduct a 'top-to-bottom' review of
officers' training.

The
commissioner, who met with FBI officials following Garner's death, said
he anticipated a civil suit by the family and 'would not be surprised
if the U.S. attorney 'decides to open a civil rights violation
investigation.'

An
initial report into Garner's death released earlier this week did not
mention a chokehold, claiming he 'was not in great distress' and his
health 'did not get worse' as he was held down.

The
omission has sparked an angry reaction from City Hall, with state
senator Bill Perkins shouting: 'This is murder' during a rally.

In the video of Garner's death, veteran officer Pantaleo waved to the camera as the father was taken away on a stretcher.

One of the witnesses asked, 'Why is nobody doing CPR?' an officer responded, 'Because he's breathing.'

Demanding
action: NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, pictured left with New York
Mayor Bill de Blasio during a press conference this week, wants a
'top-to-bottom' review of how officers use force

Sergeant Dhanan Saminath said Garner was in handcuffs with officers 'maintaining control of him' according to the report.

It also suggests that he 'resisted arrest' and failed to 'obey instructions' as police tried to handcuff him.

However Sergeant Kizzy Adonis said she 'believed she heard the perpetrator state that he was having difficulty breathing'.

The
New York City Medical Examiner's office has not yet been able to
determine what killed Garner - whether he died from a chokehold or an
underlying health issue.

Pantaleo,
a plainclothes cop, has been forced to surrender his gun and badge and
put on desk duty while the NYPD investigates the case.

Disturbing
footage: The father passed out after being held down by police. Minutes
later, Officer Pantaleo was caught waving to a woman recording the
incident (right)

Treatment: A witness asked why no one was giving him CPR, to which officers respond 'because he is breathing'